Mittwoch, 16. Dezember 2015

Laura Howard - Deon Dane - Australian watch brand

Deon Dane is a new Australian / American designed unisex watch brand based in Perth, Australia (shipping worldwide!). The style of the unisex watches is modern, minimalist and everyday cool.

Laura, you are designer and creative director at Deon Dane. When did you decide to found your own brand and how many people are working with you right now?

I have always wanted to own my own business and in January 2015 decided it was time to pick something and roll with it or I would never get around to it. I noticed there were not a lot of minimal but casual/cool watches around and especially not at a reasonable price point. It’s just me for now with a lot of support from my partner, Brady.

What did you do before?

I studied Operations & Supply Chain Management at the University of North Texas before going to Australia for a summer and never wanting to leave. J I have had a good career in this field but it has never been something I really get excited about or have a strong passion for. It has been a great background to have though as I have a lot of experience with sourcing materials, contracting with suppliers, find manufactureres etc. It was this combination of experience and a passion for fashion & interior design that has really brought it all together.

What was the reason for you to start your own business?

I have always wanted to live the shit out of life! A normal 8-5 business job has allowed me to do a lot of things including traveling to some amazing places and being able to migrate to Australia. I have come to a point where it was time to do something a little more exciting and give one of my passions a go before I got stuck in a rut of „normal“ life.

What are your primary tasks at the moment?

At the moment I am still working as a Purchasing and Inventory Manager for a kitchen design company here in Perth, Australia. So, as you can imagine life is very busy right now juggling both my day job and launching my brand! I get up early so I can check my Deon Dane emails before I start work. In the afternoons I spend some time working on Deon Dane. As I am in early stages I am spending a lot of time trying to get the brand out there on social media and meeting up with local bloggers to help promote the brand. I am also working with a few local boutiques to sell the watches.

Where do you find the inspiration for the final designs of the watches?

The watches are inspired by my love for interior design & fashion. All through University I worked in an interior design shop. I now work for a kitchen design and manfucaturing business in Australia. I worked my way through University so could never quite afford all of the latest fashion but have always loved the „everyday cool“ style that Deon Dane is now. It doesn’t require a fortune to dress well if you have a few good basics and inherit a minimalist approach to fashion. This has always been my style, origianlly because I couldn’t afford a lot and now because I just love the minimal style!

How important are social media and influencers for a new brand like Deon Dane and your target group?

Social media has been parmount to launching Deon Dane. I started an Instagram page months before I was ready to launch or even had a product to show. I made the page a style inspo page that would reflect our style in order to start gaining a following. I am also working with a few bloggers to promote the product and get it out to a wider audience.

What is your favorite brand or designer?

I love dicovering new brands and am currently crushing on a few Australia brands; Resdemin for stylish comfortable denim (still can’t go past vintage levis for denim though). I‘ve recently developed a love affair with The Fifth Label for amazing basics. And I’ve been browsing Senso for my next shoe purchase.